Poland
Poland is a regional power in Central Europe. It is between two major powers, the 
German Reich and the 
Soviet Union. It is arguably the 6th strongest country in Europe during World War II.
Historical background[edit | edit source]
The Second Polish Republic (Pol: Druga Rzeczpospolita) was perhaps the sixth most powerful country in Europe in 1936, but was caught between two rising superpowers — Germany under the fanatical Nazis, and the Soviet Union, the epicenter of 
Communism. Due largely to limited economic resources, Poland was unable to keep pace with the intense armament efforts of its neighbors. After being the target of Hitler's political machinations, and becoming Poland's friend while weakening the country's independence and ties with 
France, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between the Soviet Union and Germany paved the way for territorial demands and, soon, war.
World War II is most often considered to have begun on 1 September 1939 with the invasion of Poland by the German Reich. Both the 
United Kingdom, the leader of the Allies, and France guaranteed Poland's independence, and did declare war on Germany. However, no real pressure was brought against the Third Reich. Almost 100 French divisions invaded Germany, but were ordered to halt 1 km from the thin and undermanned Siegfried Line and withdraw to their original positions in the Maginot Line. For 8 months after, the “Phoney War” of minor skirmishes and almost unreal quiet held sway as the allies did nothing. After the war, a German officer remarked that had the allies pressed their offensive then, Germany could only have held out for a few weeks.
The last divisions of the Polish Army capitulated after a month, on the 6th of October; but the Polish Government never officially surrendered. Indeed, their resistance was one of the best organized in Europe, complete with schools and a postal service. The Polish struggle continued on the Western Front with the Polish Fleet and Polish army brigades who evacuated through 
Romania to France and thence to England.
Polish soldiers played key roles in the war including the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Narvik, and the Battle of Monte Cassino. However, the rise of the “Iron Curtain” and the West-East division of Europe negotiated between the allies and Comintern left Poland a Soviet satellite state, its true independence not to return until the fall of the USSR decades later.
Events[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Polish events
National focus[edit | edit source]
- Main article: Polish national focus tree
Poland gets a unique national focus tree as part of a free DLC. With the No Step Back DLC, this tree is expanded. If the DLC is not enabled, Poland will use the generic national focus tree instead.
The focus tree can be divided into 5 main branches:
- Central Region Strategy - The Four Year Plan
- This branch offers the possibility to develop the nation's infrastructure and factories as well as enabling up to two additional research slots.
- Prepare For The Next War
- This branch has options to keep pace/modernize the Polish ground forces with/ahead of its neighbors.
- Air Base Expansion
- This branch includes focuses which grants several research bonuses to improve aircraft. The first focus of the branch adds an air base.
- Develop Polish Ship Building
- This branch includes focuses which grants several research bonuses that could potentially specialize or widen the range of ships available for service soon. Includes research bonus for naval doctrine advancements.
- Strengthen The Polish State
- This branch contains various diplomatic focuses and focuses to change the ideology of the government. This branch has mutually exclusive choices that enables the player to forge an alliance or create one of its own.
Technology[edit | edit source]
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This is a community maintained wiki. If you spot a mistake then you are welcome to fix it. |
Poland starts with three research slots.
| Army Technology | Naval Technology | Air Technology | Electronics & Industry |
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| Doctrines | |||
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Cosmetic names[edit | edit source]
Poland has many unique cosmetic names for its equipment, listed here.
| Type | 1918 | 1936 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support Weapons | Ckm wz. 25 & Mozdzierz wz. 18 | Rkm Browning wz.1928 & Granatnik wz. 36 | Ckm wz.32 & Mozdzierz wz. 31 | Nkm wz. 38 FK & Mozdzierz wz. 40 ST | |||||
| Infantry Equipment | Kb Mauser wz.98a | Kbsp wz.38M | wz. 38 Mors | wz. 43 Blyskawica | |||||
| Infantry Anti-Tank | Kb Ppanc wz. 35 Ur | ET-38 anti-tank grenade | |||||||
| Motorized | Ursus A | ||||||||
| Mechanized | C4P | C2P | C7P |
| Tech year | Amphibious  |
Light (TD/SPG/AA) | Medium (TD/SPG/AA) | Modern (TD/SPG/AA) | Heavy (TD/SPG/AA) | Super-Heavy (TD/SPG/AA) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Renault FT | |||||
| 1934 | TKS | 27TP | ||||
| 1936 | 7TP | |||||
| 1939 | 10TP | |||||
| 1941 | 9TP | 14TP | 32TP | |||
| 1943 | Husarz | Bestia | Behemot | |||
| 1945 | Ułan |
| Tech year | Anti-Air | Artillery | Rocket Artillery | Anti-Tank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1934 | 75mm wz. 31 | |||
| 1936 | 40mm wz. 36 | 37mm wz. 36 | ||
| 1939 | Haubica 100mm wz. 38 St. | |||
| 1940 | Armata plot. 75mm wz. 36 | Armata ppanc. 47mm wz. 39 | ||
| 1942 | Armata 155mm wz. 40 | |||
| 1943 | NA | Armata ppanc. 76mm wz. 43 |
| Tech Year | Close Air Support (Carrier) | Fighter (Carrier) | Naval Bomber (Carrier) | Heavy Fighter | Tactical Bomber | Strategic Bomber | Scout Plane |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | PZL.11 (PZL. 11 Floty) | Żubr | |||||
| 1936 | Karaś (Karaś Floty) | Jastrząb (Jastrząb Floty) | Foka (Foka Floty) | Wilk | Łoś | Pszczoła | |
| 1940 | Sum (Sum Floty) | Kania (Kania Floty) | Lew Morski (Lew Morski Floty) | Ryś | Miś | Osa | |
| 1944 | Okoń (Okoń Floty) | Pustułka (Pustułka Floty) | Mors (Mors Floty) | Lis | Dzik | Szerszeń | |
| Jet Engine Technology | |||||||
| 1945 | Orzeł | Borsuk | |||||
| 1950 | Sęp | Rosomak | Komar | ||||
Diplomacy[edit | edit source]
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This is a community maintained wiki. If you spot a mistake then you are welcome to fix it. |
Poland starts as non-aligned, but with their unique focus tree can easily join any of the main ideologies or even try and remain neutral through the war by starting their own faction.
In the 1936 opening, Poland has to make a decision on what faction to join. In 1936, the Polish Army is stronger than the Wehrmacht so an preemptive attack can be considered especially if France declares war after the reoccupation of the Rhine event. If Poland chooses to join the Allies it needs to be aware of the fact that the brunt of the German war effort will be placed on it. If Poland chooses to join the Axis it has the potential to destroy the USSR. If Poland decides to join the Comintern it will be able to knock out Germany very early on and prevent the Soviet Union from claiming its eastern states. This course of action can be problematic if Poland joins the Axis and Germany takes the "Molotov Ribbentrop Pact" focus.
Alliances[edit | edit source]
In 1936, Poland does not belong in any alliances but it can form an alliance with France via decision late 1938. By national focus, Poland can create its own faction called "Międzymorze" (mid-sea/between-seas, Latin "Intermarium", a reference to the Baltic and Black seas—at its height of power in the 16th to 17th centuries, Poland's borders stretched from the Baltic to the Black sea. Arguably, the idea of returning to that former glory is part of the national consciousness, especially in the newly re-instituted second republic of the early 20th century).
Politics[edit | edit source]
Laws[edit | edit source]
| Conscription Law | Economy Law | Trade Law |
|---|---|---|
 Volunteer Only
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 Civilian Economy
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 Export Focus
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Political parties[edit | edit source]
| Political Party | Ideology | Popularity | Party Leader | Country Name | Is Ruling? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polskie Stronnictwo Ludowe |  Democratic |
18% | Wincenty Witos | Polish Republic | No, but can come to power by coup. |
| Communist Party of Poland | Communist |
2% | Władysław Gomułka | Polish People's Republic | No, but can come to power by coup. |
| Oboz Narodowo Radykalny-Falanga |  Fascist |
15% | Bolesław Piasecki | Falangist Poland (If Independent or a puppet)/The Generalgovernement (If is specifically a German Puppet) | No, but can come to power by coup. |
| BBWR |  Non-Aligned |
65% | Ignacy Mościcki | Poland | Yes |
| BBWR | Non-Aligned |
--- | Władysław Sikorski | Poland | No, but can come to power via "Fall of Warsaw" event chain. |
Staff and designers[edit | edit source]
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost ( )
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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PZinż | Tank Designer |
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150 |
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost ()
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Stocznia Gdynia | Ship Designer |
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150 |
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost ()
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PWS | Light Aircraft Designer |
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150 |
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PZL | Medium Aircraft Designer |
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150 |
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost ()
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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FB | Infantry Equipment Designer |
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150 |
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SMPA | Artillery Designer |
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150 |
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LRL | Motorized Equipment Designer |
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150 |
| Icon | Designer | Type | Effect | Cost ()
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PKP | Industrial Concern |
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150 |
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AVA | Electronics Concern |
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150 |
Economy[edit | edit source]
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This is a community maintained wiki. If you spot a mistake then you are welcome to fix it. |
1936
 Military Factories |
 Naval Dockyards |
 Civilian Factories |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | 17 |
As well as 37 free slots. 9 Civilian Factories are available for construction duty.
 Oil |
 Rubber |
 Steel |
 Aluminum |
 Tungsten |
 Chromium |
| 5(2) | 0(0) | 51(19) | 11(2) | 0(0) | 0(0) |
*These numbers represent the available resources for production at start of the game. In the bracket are the complete numbers including those lost for trading.
Military[edit | edit source]
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This is a community maintained wiki. If you spot a mistake then you are welcome to fix it. |
Army[edit | edit source]
| Type | No. | |
|---|---|---|
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Infantry | 28 |
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Cavalry | 10 |
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Mountaineer | 2 |
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Total divisions | 40 |
The Polish Army (Wojsko Polskie) is based on large infantry divisions as well as small cavalry brigades.
- Infantry divisions (Dywizja Piechoty) are made of 9
infantry regiments with a 
cavalry recon company. - Mountaineer divisions (Dywizja Piechoty Górskiej) comprise 9
mountain regiments with a cavalry recon company. - Cavalry brigades (Brygada Kawalerii) are made of 3
cavalry regiments with a cavalry recon company.
8 of the infantry divisions and all of the cavalry brigardes are at "Trained" with the rest of the army at Regular; all units suffer from equipment shortages.
Total: 30 Divisions + 10 Brigades
Manpower Used: 320k
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The Polish Navy (Marynarka Wojenna) is almost nonexistent. It is best to ignore any Naval research unless going for a World Conquest or there is nothing left to do.
Total: 5 vessels | Manpower Used: 1.1k
| Name | Type | Count | Production | Techyear | Design note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wicher Class | Minelayer (DD) | 2 | 1922 | DD battery I, AA I, TT I, DC I and mines | |
| Wilk Class | Minelayer (SS) | 3 | 1936 | TT I and mines |
Air Force[edit | edit source]
| Type | No. | |
|---|---|---|
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Close air support | 22 |
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Fighter | 162 |
Total: 184 planes | Manpower Used: 3.68k
The Polish Air Force (Siły Powietrzne) is weak and it would take a lot of time to upgrade, but it is definitely worth upgrading to try and wrest air control from the Germans in 1939..
Strategies and guides[edit | edit source]
The below is one of many player suggested strategies for Poland. Bear in mind, due to the dynamic nature of the game, it may unfold differently for other players.At the beginning of the game you can choose whether to attach to the Axis (fascism), the Comintern (communism) or to set up Międzymorze (historically the idea of Marshal Józef Piłsudski), you can also go to Liberalism (I do not recommend). To have a chance to defend against Germany or the USSR, the first three national goals should be Strengthening the Polish State (you can give Tomisław Łupaszko - an increase in the experience of the army or Roman Dmowski - a fascist demagogue), Polish militarism and Polish Revanchism (shortens the justification of the war goal and allows to do at 10% WT - Rhineland gives 5%, and if France declares war, we can attack them, so it will not be a long wait). When WT is high enough (if playing on Historical, tension will be high enough after Japan attacks China), justify on Lithuania. After a quick war, annex Lithuania and re-create the Commonwealth, which gives you cores in Latvia and the western parts of the USSR (most of Ukraine, Belarus and Smolensk), and Germany (Konigsberg and Mazury) - note that you don't have to capitulate Lithuania to form the Commonwealth, meaning that you can quickly justify on Latvia while still at war with Lithuania to get the rest of your Baltic cores (if you haven't done anything else to raise tension, you will not have to worry about an Allied guarantee of Latvia).
Germany will sooner or later demand Danzig, it is probably wise to give it to them, as they will usually leave you alone after that. Alternatively, be prepared for a tough war, which you probably should be communist and allied with Soviet to win. The alternative is to maintain peace with Axis and fight Soviet. Form a solid defensive line with fortifications on the eastern front, and let them wear themselves out before you counterattack. After you win, you can take back your cores in Ukraine to bring back the Commonwealth to its full glory of about 60 million people, and add as many factory and resource provinces as you can. A third strategy is to get enough popularity in Fascism before Germany demands Danzig, disband your entire army, refuse to hand over Danzig, then trigger a civil war immediately after the Germans declare on you - because of how diplomacy works, Germany will still be at war with Poland, but they will not be at war Falangist Poland (which you are in control of once the war starts), and the Allies will guarantee Falangist Poland but not normal Poland. You can then wait for the Germans to be too busy dealing with the Allies (just don't join their wars), then leave the Axis and either flip to Communism (thus allowing you to avoid conflict with the Soviets) or go Democratic (thus allowing you to join the Allies when tension gets high enough). Alternatively, you can wait for the Germans to attack the USSR, then justify on them and join in (if you accept any calls to arms from the Germans, you'll be dragged in) - note that if you declare on the USSR after Germany already declared, the Soviets won't gain a second Great Patriotic War buff, so don't worry about that.
After defeating Latvia, you can consider to create or join an alliance. The Międzymorze tends to be less useful as most states will be reluctant to join until later in the game, and the Baltic countries can be conquered and cored. I recommend (if present) the Roman Pact (the conditions are immediately met (BBWR (an independent block of cooperation with the government (created by Marshal Józef Piłsudski) is at the beginning a ruling "party", and its over 60% support is slowly falling)) Romania, the USSR makes lend-lease, but we block it with our borders, we do not join their wars, we conquer smaller countries (if we fight Germany, we can summon them, but if the Allies fight them, we will crush them, but it requires going You can also join Osizy Zaolzie (received by Czechoslovakia in Poland during (won by Poland) the Poland-USSR war) after the annexation of Czechoslovakia, but then we have to agree to the domination of the Reich. If the Roman Pact (the best option) is then we join them and go into fascism (if we are preparing for civil war (50PP) (we have Dmowski) (WE DON'T START IT !!!) we can get "fascist assault divisions "(+ manpower)), in fascist focus we have another manpower bonus, improving relations with Germany, it is also worth faster division training. If Romanians develop a "Renewal of the Polish-Romanian Alliance" then joining it gives us a guarantee from Romania, but we also give it a guarantee and she gives it to Czechoslovakia, Greece and Turkey (i.e. if these countries are attacked Romania will fight on their side, and we guarantee Romania, so we will also fight (if we conquer the Baltic States, we can agree and attack the Reich after the annexation of Czechoslovakia).
Achievements[edit | edit source]
30 Minutes of Hel As Poland in the 1939 “Blitzkrieg” scenario start, inflict over 1,800,000 casualties to Germany to beat the 2018 PDXCON HOI4 challenge. Extra bragging rights if you do it in 30 minutes or less! |
Bearer of Artillery Gain Wojtek as commander. |
Poland Can Into Space Finish all Rocket Technologies as Poland. |
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| Oceania |
